Getting to Know Each Other
by Fangirling It 7
Summary: Set during 2x10. This is a continuation of their interrupted discussion on how their leaders are chosen.


_I own nothing. This is set during 2x10_ _"Survival of the Fittest". This scene takes place after the escape the Pauna._

After escaping the radiation gorilla, Lexa called it a Puana. We began to run towards TonDC, but the sun was setting so we decided to stop for the night. I started to gather some wood and dried leaves in order to make a fire. When I got the wood and leaves I began trying to start the fire, but it is taking time. Starting a fire was something I always sucked at in Earth skills class. Wells always made fun of me during our practical, but since landing I have gotten better at starting a fire, though it still takes me more time than most of the hundred.

"It will take longer for the fire to get hot if you do it that way," of course she would try to correct me. Lexa seems to be there for advice any time I falter whether it is welcomed or not. Lexa comes up next to me and begins rearranging the materials for the fire and before long the fire is going and hot.

We sit down on opposite sides of the fire on fall logs and we both stare into the fire. Byrne is dead. According to the grounders Bellamy is probably dead, as well. He has to be okay or he went in there just to die. Can I save anyone? I couldn't save Wells, Charlotte, Anya or Finn. Can I save anyone?

"When I was still on the Ark we had this class, called Earth Skills. We learned about trees, and plants we could eat and how to build a fire. The class missed a few details. My friend, Wells and I always paired up in the class and he would always give me a hard time because I always, always had a hard time during the fire portion of our final. Though I made up for it because he could never tell which berries were poisonous or not." I'm not sure why I am telling Lexa about Wells.

"Where is he now?" Clearly she was wondering if she had met him already.

"He died." I state. Finding Wells had been bad, the cut on his throat was deep and the blood had been everywhere. I dug his grave by myself, Finn and even Bellamy offered to help, but after how horrible I had been to him I couldn't let anyone help me.

"Did he fight well during the battle?" I look over at her momentarily confused before it dawned on me that she thought he died during the ring of fire.

"No, he died before the war with your people. About a week after we landed. He was on watch and I guess Charlotte came up and stabbed him in the neck. It was hopefully pretty quick. I mean…"

"You hope he didn't suffer." Finished Lexa.

"Yes." Glad that at least someone seemed to understand how I felt about everything.

"This Charlotte… she was one of you?"

"Yes, she was 12. She was arrested for attacking a guard on the Ark after her parents were floated. I guess she tried to make the nightmares of seeing her parents floated by killing Wells."

"Why would killing him help?"

"Because Jaha wasn't down here and Wells was Jaha's son. I'm not sure what her reasons were. She wasn't here long after she killed Wells. A few days later she jumped off a cliff near the drop ship, because Murphy had a knife to my throat." Losing Wells had been painful, but as mad as I was at Charlotte, when she jumped that had been unbearable and she became the first in a long list of people I can't seem to save.

"You said she was arrested. Did you come down with a lot prisoners?"

I laugh humorlessly. Maybe when Lexa finds out we were all prisoners she will only want to work with Kane or Mom that would make them happy.

"Everyone who originally came down here before the Ark fell we were all prisoners of the Ark. Except Raven. They sent us down here as a test run, I guess. To make sure it was safe before everyone else came down." I look over at Lexa and notice that with her good arm she had tighten her grip on her dagger she keeps at her hip.

"But you were all young," she looks as confused as I feel.

"Yea…" Not really sure where she is going with this.

"Where were your older prisoners?" then it becomes clear that she is wondering why it was just the hundred and no adults.

"On the Ark, anyone who committed a crime who was 18 or older was floated, ah was executed."

"All crimes?"

"Yes."

"And your people think us savages." I look at her. I can't even argue the point with her. I think she might have a point.

"It's not something we are proud of and hopefully now that we are on the ground things will be different."

"How did you become a prisoner among your people?" she sounds curious, there doesn't seem to be any hint of judgement from her.

"My dad was an engineer on the Ark and he found a problem with the oxygen system. He believed that everyone on the Ark had the right to know, but the leadership disagreed, my mom disagreed. My mom told Jaha that Dad intended to tell the Ark about the oxygen problem. Jaha had him arrested and floated. A couple of hours later I was arrested because I knew the truth and wanted to follow through with my father's plan. So then I spent a year in a cell all alone, well I would see a guard for meals, when they didn't steal it for themselves."

"How does Thelonious have so much power?" I looked at her. Surely the fact that Jaha was chancellor on the Ark had come up when she had held Kane and him.

"Jaha was the chancellor before my mom and Kane. He was our leader when we were in space."

"He seems like an ineffective leader." I try to stifle the snort that welled up in my chest.

"Mom said that he hasn't been the same since Wells, his son, died."

"How did you end up becoming the leader of your people?"

"That's thing… I'm not… not really. I guess Bellamy and I just stepped up and become the leaders with the hundred. Bellamy did well inspiring all of us and I kept us alive by being our healer. But now that everyone from the Ark is down here, my mom is our leader, technically though I think Kane is helping her make a lot of decisions."

"How are your leaders chosen? I have been told that your mom is a gifted healer, but she is not leadership material. Marcus would be better equipped to be a leader."

I chuckle a little, "Well usually there is an election and everyone over eighteen gets to vote for who they want as a leader. My mom got the chancellor pin because Jaha didn't come down with the rest of them and then Kane left to try and make peace with you so he gave my mom the pin."

"When would they give this pin to you?"

"Me? Hopefully never, but I won't even be eligible to run for chancellor until I'm twenty-one."

"Clarke, you are a leader. You need to embrace that."

"Well, by my people's laws and traditions I don't have to embrace anything for another few years. I just want my friends back. Kane and Mom can run the Ark."

We fall silent for a while, but I suddenly remember her telling me that her leaders were chosen by reincarnation. I'm not sure I believe that, but how do the grounders tell when their commander's spirit has passed on.

"How do your people know when someone new has the commander's spirit?"

"The conclave," she states. Just when I think she won't expand she starts talking again, "When a commander dies there is a conclave, where all of the potential commanders fight to the death. Afterwards when there is one potential commander is left standing the previous commander's body is burned in a funeral pyre and the ascension ceremony is performed."

"Is the conclave open to anyone?" The rituals sound vaguely like the ones ancient civilizations used. Wells used to go on and on about ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt.

"No, it is only open to the natblidas. In my class there were nine of us. We all grew up together and trained together."

It sounds barbaric to me. They train kids to become leaders and then have them kill each other in order to become a leader. But maybe Lexa had a point our ways on the Ark seem to look just as bad to Lexa as her ways do to me. Maybe after all of this we could find a way to live together without all the fighting.

"You should get some rest Clarke; we will have a long walk back in the morning." I don't argue with her. I am exhausted; instead I lay down and close my eyes. Before I know it I hear a loud roar coming from the Pauna. I shoot up into a seated positon and look around sure that the Pauna is close by.

"It's okay. You're safe." Comes from behind me. I turn and see Lexa her hand is around her dagger.

"How's your arm?" I think she looks uncomfortable, but then I realize I have no idea how she might be feeling. I know grounders feel pain, but they don't ever acknowledge it.

"Hurts." I guess they can acknowledge that something hurts. Maybe Lexa really is starting to trust me.

"We should go. That cage won't hold forever." I say. We have to find my friends. I need to get back to the radio to see if Bellamy has made contact. And try to figure out how to get everyone out of mount weather without killing everyone in the mountain.

"Wait," says Lexa as she begins to stand, "I was wrong about you, Clarke. Your heart shows no sign of weakness."

When Lexa says stuff like that I'm not sure what she is expecting me to respond with so this time I nod my head as if to agree with her. I would rather avoid her telling me that mockery isn't the product of a strong mind again. I don't enjoy being scolded by Lexa, but I don't think I'll ever become the leader she hopes I might be one day.

I just want my people back, but I have to figure out how to get the grounders out of their cages too. I turn and look back towards where we left the Pauna. Could it really be that simple?

"The cage won't hold," I half whisper to myself, half say to Lexa. I turn back to Lexa and tell her my crazy idea, "I think I know how to take Mount Weather." She looks intrigued and maybe a little impressed that a Sky person might hold the key to getting our people out.

"We've been trying to get inside, but they've already let us in. "I tell her hoping she will follow my train of thought.

"What are you talking about?" she seems confused.

"Your army is already there. Locked in cages. We just need someone on the inside to let them out."

"Bellamy." I nod my head in agreement with her assessment. I hope he is still alive, because this plan will not work without him. "You have faith in him?" she asks me.

"I do."

"I hope your faith is well placed, because if he can't get inside, we can't win." I hope my faith is well placed to, I can handle anymore friends dying.

"He will." If there is one thing Bellamy and I undeniably share it's a desire to keep our friends alive. I know he'll make it in there, but I don't know how long he will take. I turn and start to stomp out the fire. I turn back to her, "Lexa, this is gonna work. Come on."

We both head for the direction of TonDC. I am a little surer of myself and in my plan, but there is nothing we can do until Bellamy makes contact. I am slightly surprised that Lexa took to my plan as fast as she did. Maybe this alliance really can be built on trust and friendship among our people. Starting with Lexa and me.


End file.
